LYONS TOWNSHIP, IL — An Uber driver claimed that 19 kilos of cocaine present in his automotive throughout a tollway visitors cease don’t belong to him, prosecutors stated. Carlos Meza Gonzalez, 34, appeared earlier than Cook County Judge Peter Felice on a Class X felony cost of manufacture and supply of cocaine, and possession of a managed substance. The decide stated he thought-about the massive amount of cocaine “a danger to the community.”

According to the fees, Illinois State Police observed stopped Meza Gonzalez for rushing round round 5:52 p.m. Sept. 12, within the southbound lane of I-294 in Lyons Township. Meza Gonzalez allegedly gave police permission to look his automotive. The state trooper discovered 12 bundles in a brown field with the letter “C” stamped on it, together with extra bundles in a plastic bag, the prosecutor stated. Meza Gonzalez is alleged to have advised police that somebody he didn’t recognized should have positioned the contraband in his automotive. In complete, the prosecutor stated police discovered 19.1 kilos within the car.

“Did the ‘C’ stand for cocaine,” Judge Felice requested. “How much is that in pounds?”

“About 47 to 48 pounds,” the prosecutor stated, including that the road worth of the medicine was $876,000.

The assistant public defender advised the decide that Meza Gonzalez works full time as an Uber driver. He has no prior legal background. If convicted of the Class X felony cost, Meza Gonzalez faces a compulsory minimal or six years within the Illinois Department of Corrections.

“Do you realize the impact this would have if this amount of cocaine had gotten to the wrong people, and it surely would have gone to the wrong people, not to saying he’s guilty,” Judge Felice stated.

Bail was set at $750,000. The decide needed a supply of funds ought to Meza Gonzalez bond out. He additionally ordered Meza Gonzalez to put on a GPS monitoring system if he’s launched from jail. Meza Gonzalez is due again in courtroom Oct.9 in Bridgeview.